And So You Fell Into The Danger
by Ghostwriter
Summary: When the MacDonald/Venturi clan go to Angel Grove for Spring break, Bandora decides to give Casey her own welcome home present.
1. Spring Break Plans

AND SO YOU FELL INTO THE DANGER

AUTHOR'S NOTE/DISCLAIMER

Sequel to "Tick Tock Combat". Takes place near the end of Season 1, before what would've been "Male Code Blue". Life With Derek belongs to Canadian Television and Disney. Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. Bandora is from Zyuranger, and I'm not sure who owns that. I only own the Velocitrons, Murdoch, Samarin, Gorkon, and the plot. The song Casey sings is from "The Sound Of Dischordia".

BRIIIIIIIING! The sound of the last bell sent various students of Sir John Sparrow High out the door.

"Yes! Time for spring break!" Emily Davids cheered. Casey MacDonald laughed.

"Yeah, I could use a break myself," she admitted. Emily stared at her friend in surprise. _**Casey**__ wants a break from school?_ she thought to herself. "I'm just kidding, Em," Casey stated when she saw the look. Emily laughed.

"Oh, that was a good one," she said. Casey laughed, but her mirth didn't reach her eyes. She hadn't understood. But how could she? This was her home. Casey's home was back in Angel Grove with her friends. Meanwhile, Sam Richards, Ralph Papadelias, and Derek Venturi were talking excitedly.

"Dude, this is gonna be a **great** spring break!" Sam stated.

"Yeah, I bet can convince my parents to take us to the beach or something," Derek bragged.

"Dude, that'd be **so** sweet," Ralph commented.

"But what if Casey and her family want to do something else?" Sam pointed out.

"It'll be too bad for them because you know that I **always** get what I want," Derek bragged.

"Dude, didn't you say you found out she took karate?" Ralph reminded.

"So?" Derek asked.

"So, she could totally drop-kick you," Ralph pointed out.

"Dude, he **does** have a point," Sam noted.

"Okay, yes, Casey does karate," Derek responded. "But you remember when we took her to the hospital. She said her partner overshot a kick and pinned her leg. That only happens to people who aren't any good at it," he continued. Sam and Ralph stared at him unconvinced and Derek shook his head at his friends' lack of faith in him. Then, they all headed for the bus. As they did so, they saw Emily and Casey as they boarded. They all sat down near the two much to Derek's chagrin. _Man, this is so lame_, he thought to himself.

"Here we fly at Angel Grove High. And here we rise at Angel Grove High-y-igh. And we'll take on all the limits, and we'll take on all the limits-" Casey began.

"Would you quit singing?" Derek interrupted.

"What **are** you singing, anyways?" Sam wondered.

"My old high school's song," Casey answered.

"If you're going to sing a school song, Keener, it should be the school that you go to," Derek sneered.

"But it's a terrible song," Casey objected.

"She's right, man. No one can hit that last note," Sam agreed. Derek sighed and rolled his eyes.

"So, what are you guys going to do for spring break?" Emily wondered, changing the subject.

"I'd like to go home to Angel Grove," Casey answered.

"Well, keep dreaming, Princess. Because **I** want to go to the beach," Derek told her.

"Well, contrary to what you believe Derek, you do **not** always get what you want," Casey stated. Derek just scoffed. Soon enough, they were home.

"Hey, kids," Nora greeted. Derek, Casey, Lizzie, Edwin, and Marti greeted their parents.

"All right, everyone. Where do you want to go for spring break?" George asked.

"Angel Grove," Casey answered.

"The beach," Derek said at the same time.

"You're so lame, Derek," Casey said. Derek laughed.

"**Me**? **Lame**? I think you've got that backwards, MacDonald," he responded.

"All right, all right. That's enough you two," George interjected. "We'll put it to a vote," he said.

"All in the favor of the beach, raise your hands," Nora told them. Derek did so and then stared at his younger siblings.

"Smarti, where do you want to go? Some stuffy boring old town, or a nice, fun beach?" he queried.

"I don't care! I'm a cat!" Marti replied. Derek rolled his eyes and then turned to Edwin.

"Edwin, why aren't you voting?" he asked.

"And all in favor of Angel Grove?" Nora continued. Casey, Lizzie, and to Derek's surprise, Edwin all raised their hands.

"Edwin?" Derek asked in displeased surprise.

"Sorry, Bro. But Angel Grove sounds more fun," Edwin replied with a shrug. Derek sputtered for a response and Casey and Lizzie laughed.

"All right. It's settled then. We're going to Angel Grove," George commented.

"I gotta call Jesse!" Casey exclaimed and then ran up the stairs to her room. Up on the moon, Bandora cackled.

"So, Pinky's coming back for spring break, is she? Well, we'll just have to give her a welcome home party she'll **never** forget!" She laughed again, the sound echoing throughout her palace.


	2. Plans

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Boris Yeltsin: Thanks. You might want to read Tick Tock Combat first so that this makes sense. Oh, Zyuranger's pretty good. You can download them at Power Rangers Unlimited or Power Rangers Planet. They're in Japanese, but they have English subtitles.

Dark-Supernatural-Angel: Well, it's Season 1 Derek, so even if he was curious, he'd be more upset that he didn't get his way. Thanks. Slow. I'm stuck in mid-chapter. I'm almost tempted to just nix the idea of "Crushing The Coach". Hope this is soon enough.

Booklover223: Thanks, I'm glad you like it. I can't remember if you read Tick Tock Combat, but if not, you might want to read it so that this makes sense.

Dean Winchesters Baby Girl: Thanks. Yes, that she will be. Hope this is soon enough.

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. Life With Derek belongs to Canadian Television and Disney. Bandora's from Zyuranger and I'm not sure who owns that. One piece of dialogue comes from "White Light Part 1". Plot and characters you don't recognize are mine.

In Angel Grove, in a building known as the Tyranno Dojo, a man with short hair was teaching a class. Underneath his white gi was a red shirt. The man watched as his students finished up their sparring session and then gave a command. At once, everyone came to attention.

"You all did very well. I'm proud of you. Class dismissed," the man told them.

"Thank you, Sensei," his students chorused. They bowed and then went to gather their things. While most of the students headed out the door, five students walked up to the man.

"You did very well today. You should be proud of yourselves," Jason told them.

"Thank you, Sensei," Alex Cross said. He was a muscular Caucasian, standing at 5'9, and spiky hair and brownish-green eyes and was wearing a red shirt with black jeans. Jason nodded a goodbye to the last student.

"So, I've got some good news," Jesse Reeves stated. Like Alex, he was a muscular Caucasian and 5'9. Unlike his friend however, he had chestnut-blonde hair and dark, chocolate eyes. He was wearing a green collar shirt and pale blue jeans.

"Good news?" Kelly Lautner, an African-American girl asked. She was almost as tall as Jesse and had black hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a yellow shirt with white stripes and a long brown skirt.

"What's going on?" Bradley "Brad" Granger queried. He was somewhat shorter than Kelly with blonde hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a blue shirt with white stripes and white jeans.

"Yeah, man. Don't leave us in suspense," Steven "Steve" Williams added. He was Hispanic, a bit shorter than Jesse, with black hair and brown eyes. He was wearing a black shirt with black jeans.

"I got a call from Casey earlier today," Jesse stated.

"What? How's she's doing?" Kelly asked.

"She's good," Jesse responded, and then hesitated.

"Well, come on, don't leave us in suspense," Alex urged.

"She and her family's coming here for spring break," Jesse told them.

"What! That's awesome!" the other Rangers exclaimed.

"This calls for a surprise party," Kelly declared.

"My thoughts exactly," Jesse stated. "So, I figured we'd talk to Bulk and see if he'd let us use the juice bar," he continued.

"That sounds great. I know she's missed you guys," Jason said.

"Dude, you're invited too!" Jesse exclaimed. "Sorry. I know-don't call you 'Dude'," he quickly added. Jason chuckled and shook his head.

"It's okay. You were excited," he told him. _Man, what a change_, he thought. When they had first become Rangers, Jesse had been sullen and withdrawn due to some family problems, only joining the others when he had to. But now, he seemed happier, though he occasionally slipped back into his old ways. Just then, hard rock filled the air. Jesse dipped his hand into his right pocket and pulled out his cell phone.

"Yeah?" he asked. He listened for a few minutes. "Wha-but-Dad! This was our weekend together!" he exclaimed. Jason tensed. _Don't tell me he's flaking on him again_, he thought to himself. "No. No, I understand. It's a pretty big honor. Congratulations." Jesse's eyes clouded as he hung up.

"What happened?" Alex asked.

"Dad's getting an award: Business Man of the Year, so he can't take me this weekend," Jesse responded. Jason shook his head angrily. _I don't believe this_, he thought to himself.

"Man, that bites," Alex said.

"So, what are you going to do?" Steve wondered.

"Focus on Casey's surprise party. If Dad doesn't wanna spend time with me, it's his loss," Jesse responded. "Come on, let's go to the juice bar," he continued and the rest of the Rangers plus Jason followed him. A few minutes later, they reached a building known as Ernie's Gym And Juice Bar. They walked in.

"Hey, guys. what can I get you?" Farkus Bulkmeier commonly known as "Bulk" asked.

"Casey's coming here for her spring break," Jesse said.

"Hey, that's great," Bulk said.

"Yeah, it is," Kelly agreed.

"Anyway, we were thinking about throwing her a surprise party and-" Alex began to say.

""And you want to hold it here," Bulk finished.

"Yeah," Steve answered.

"Could we?" Brad questioned.

"Of course," Bulk answered.

"Thanks. You're the best," Jesse told him. Bulk beamed. That wasn't something he was used to hearing.

"All right. Your usuals?" Bulk asked.

"Yes, please," the group chorused and Bulk went back to make the smoothies. Jason grinned softly and he looked around the place. _Wow. I still can't believe what Bulk did with the place. It looks just like it did when we were kids_, he thought to himself. And that brought back so many good memories. Several minutes later, the teens and Jason had their smoothies.

"You know, I still can't believe how much you fixed this place up and even restored the name," Jason commented.

"Well, giving it another name just didn't same right. I mean, it'll always be Ernie's…you know?" Bulk asked.

"Yeah. I know," Jason said softly as his gaze zeroed in on the photo of the deceased owner. Bulk was right: this place would always be Ernie's. Meanwhile, in Ontario, Casey was eagerly packing. _I'm going to be back home! I can't wait_! she thought. She had missed everybody…especially Jesse. It wasn't the same just seeing him in battles. She wanted him to hold her and kiss her. Things he couldn't do now that she was out of the states. In his room, Derek was also packing, but slowly. _I don't believe this! How could they vote against me? How could __**Edwin**__ vote against me? What's so special about this Angel Grove place anyway?_ he wondered. Well, just because they were dragging him to this stupid place didn't mean he had to like it. In fact, if he was going to be miserable, it only made sense for Casey to be miserable too. Derek grinned as the thought came to him. He'd make her time in Angel Grove so terrible that she'd **beg** their parents to take them to a beach like he wanted. Pleased with the idea, he continued packing.


	3. Angel Grove Welcome

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Dark-Supernatural-Angel: Yeah, well, read on and see what happens. Well, I figured she'd be excited. Read on and see. Maybe he will, maybe he won't. Thanks, yeah, I know, but I thought it'd work for the character. Hope this is soon enough. We'll see what happens inspiration-wise.

Booklover223: Thanks. Oh, good. I just didn't want you to get confused in case I mentioned something that happened in the fic. I don't know if I will, but we'll see. Lol. Yes, there is. But Derek doesn't know that and Casey wouldn't tell him.

Dean Winchesters Baby Girl: Thanks. I'm glad you like it so far. This is true, but this is self-absorbed Derek, not grownup-ish Derek. Read on and see. Hope this is soon enough.

Boris Yeltsin: Thanks. Yep.

DISCLAIMER

Life With Derek belongs to Canadian Television and Disney. Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. Bandora is from Zyuranger, but I don't know who owns that. The human chain concept comes from the episode "High Five". I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize.

Early, the next morning, the MacDonald/Venturi clan got up, got dressed, gathered up their belongings, and went into the car, where George drove them to the airport. Once they were there, they waited until their boarding call and went onto the plane. Once there, Casey, Edwin, Marti, Lizzie, George, and Nora fell back to sleep. However, Derek waited for the signal and then pulled out his walkman, slipped his headphones on and listened as hard rock began playing. Then, he closed his eyes and let the music wash over him. Hours passed and then finally, the captain's voice came over the P.A. system announcing their arrival in Angel Grove and thanking them for choosing their airline. Derek made a muttering noise as heard the voice. When had he fallen asleep? Casey could hardly contain herself. They were home! Soon, she'd be able to see her friends again! They all got their belongings and then headed off the flight. Then, George got them a rental car and drove them to their hotel. He checked them in and they went into their rooms: Casey, Lizzie, and Marti in one room, Derek and Edwin in another, and Nora and George in the third room. After they all got settled, they met in George and Nora's room.

"All right. If you want, you can go explore. But be careful. Although it's pretty safe here, we are prone to monster attacks," Nora cautioned. George looked at his wife in confusion at the use of the word "we" when speaking of the town.

"I'm gonna go meet the guys," Casey announced. "Lizzie, Edwin, you wanna come with?" she queried.

"Sure!" Edwin exclaimed.

"No, thanks. I think I'll look up Shari and Melissa," Lizzie responded at the same time, mentioning two of her friends.

"Okay," Casey said. "Come on, Ed," she continued.

"He's not going anywhere without me," Derek snapped. _I can't believe this. Since when is Edwin so buddy-buddy with Casey?_ he wondered. He couldn't believe that he was slowly losing influence over his younger brother. He had stopped picking on Casey and Lizzie, was sharing jokes with them, and even took karate lessons with them.

"You can tag along if you want Derek, but I'll doubt you'll enjoy yourself," Casey retorted. _Uck! It figures he'd try to horn in on my good time_, she silently fumed.

"Which just means **I**'**m** going to have a blast," Derek haughtily reasoned. _I'll bet she doesn't even have any friends here_, he thought to himself. He grinned. He couldn't **wait** to see her crash and burn.

"Come on. This time of day, they're all at the b-ball court," Casey said, leading them out of the hotel room. _Oh, this is gonna be __**so**__ awesome! She's such a klutz_, Derek chuckled to himself. Nevertheless, he kept quiet as he and Edwin followed her.

"Dude, I can't wait to see her crash and burn with these people. I'll bet you ten bucks that they're not even really her friends," Derek whispered to Edwin low enough so that Casey couldn't hear.

"I'll bet you twenty bucks that they are," Edwin countered in the same tone. Derek hesitated. Did he really wanna risk it? Then, he scoffed. Who was he kidding? He was **so** gonna win.

"You're on, Little Brother," he answered. Edwin bit back a grin. _Easiest twenty bucks I ever made_, he thought to himself. Then, they went to the basketball court. When they got there, they saw five teens-four guys and a girl-in the middle of an intense game. As they walked up, Derek noticed that a boy wearing a green shirt was facing the basket, trying to get past his friends who continually blocked his shot. Then, he saw the boy in red subtly motion to his companions to look behind their friend, and they hid grins as Casey put a finger to her lips. The boy was so focused on his task that he didn't even know Casey was there until she grabbed his shoulder. He spun around, crouching into a defensive stance and got ready to attack before realizing who it was. Casey threw her head back in laughter.

"You should've seen your face, babe!" she said.

"I thought you were a Velocitron!" he defended.

"Oh, please. I am nowhere near that ugly," she responded. She then squealed in surprise as he picked her up and spun her around before setting her back on the ground.

"Guys, these are my stepbrothers, Edwin and Derek," Casey introduced, pointing to the two as she spoke their names. "Edwin, Derek, these are my friends, Alex, Kelly, Brad, Steve, and my boyfriend Jesse," she continued, pointing to each in turn and then gave Jesse a quick kiss on the lips. Derek found himself staring at Kelly. He gave the girl's tall form a once over and smirked. _She's a babe. And the way her hair's hanging down makes her look sexy_, he thought to himself.

"So Kelly, what do you say we ditch these geeks and tear up the town?" Derek flirtatiously invited, stepping closer to her.

"Like I'd **really** go out with you after everything you've done to Casey," Kelly told him.

"Besides, she doesn't date outside her species," Brad added and Casey laughed. Just then, a group of strange people-sized beings with a black body, orange zigzag stripes, and claws for fingers, appeared.

"What are those things?" Derek wondered.

"Velocitrons!" Alex shouted.

"Derek, get Edwin to safety!" Casey instructed. Confused, Derek did as he was told as Casey and her friends spread out and started to fight the creatures. He watched as the group split into twos to battle the things. Brad picked up the basketball and threw it at one of the beings. It caught it and then found itself being kicked back.

"What are those things?" Edwin wondered. _Are those the foot soldiers that Casey talked about?_ he added silently.

"I don't know," Derek answered. _What kind of freak town is this?_ he mused.

"So not the welcome committee I wanted," Casey declared to her friends as she backed kicked one of the creatures.

"Hey, you were expecting anything less?" Steve asked, punching another of the creatures.

"Not really," Casey replied as she flipped out of the way and then brought one of the things down with a leg sweep.

"Form a human chain!" Alex instructed. Derek and Edwin turned to each other in confusion. _Human chain? What's that?_ Edwin wondered. He got his answer when he saw Casey, Jesse, and Steve team up by having Steve jump onto Jesse's shoulders and Casey getting in front of Jesse and grabbing Steve's legs and then Jesse lifted them up and spun them around. Looking, he saw Kelly, Alex, and Brad in the same formation.

"Wow. That's really cool," Edwin breathed. _I wonder if she could teach me and Lizzie that_, he thought. Minutes later, the teens broke away from their groups and took stances of defensive as the creatures advanced on them. _Don't they ever stop?_ Derek wondered, staring at the creatures. There was no way Casey and her friends could keep this up. Those creatures would destroy them. However, to his surprise, they kept fighting them. After several minutes, the creatures disappeared, causing Derek to blink in surprise. _How'd that happen?_ He wondered.

"Everyone okay?" Alex asked.

"Yeah, we're all okay," Steve answered.

"I am uninjured," Brad stated. "Though I think need to readjust a contact," he added his hand moving to his right away.

"Here. I'll make sure you don't drop it," Kelly said, cupping her hands under his eye.

"Not exactly what I had in mind for a workout today, but…" Casey's voice trailed off and the others laughed. "Derek, Edwin, you can come out now," she called and the two walked up to them.

"What was that all about?" Derek demanded. "You know, you could've warned us that this place is unsafe," he continued.

"Mom told you we were prone to monster attacks. This is part of it," Casey responded.

"Come on, babe. I'll buy you a smoothie," Jesse said.

"Passionate Pineapple?" Casey asked hopefully.

"Of course," Jesse responded.

"Edwin, you wanna come?" Casey invited.

"Yeah!" Edwin responded, hurrying towards her. Derek followed them, not liking the feeling he had. For the first time in his life, he felt left out.


	4. Another Side To Her

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Dark-Supernatural-Angel: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. Yeah, I thought it was about time that Derek got to see that. Thanks. Well, here's more.

Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, and like I said in the PM that didn't even click with me until you mentioned it.

Dean Winchesters Baby Girl: Thanks. I think you meant Kelly turned Derek down, not Casey, but I'm glad you liked it. Thanks, well read on and see. Well, of course not. She's the Pink Ranger. Hope this is soon enough.

Booklover223: Thanks, I'm glad you liked it. I'm with you on the morning thing. Thanks, well, I always liked that move and thought that they should've used it more. Thanks.

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. Life With Derek belongs to Canadian Television and Disney. Bandora is from Zyuranger, and I'm not sure who owns that. I use a variation of a line that was in Plot and characters you don't recognize are mine.

Minutes later, they reached Ernie's Gym And Juice Bar and walked in. Derek and Edwin followed Casey and her friends up to the counter where a heavyset man was behind the counter.

"Hey, Bulk," Casey greeted.

"Hey, girl. Good to see you," Bulk commented. "And who's this? A new boyfriend?" he queried teasingly, gesturing to Edwin. Casey laughed.

"No, this is my stepbrother, Edwin," she replied.

"Nice to meet you, Edwin. What can I get you?" Bulk asked.

"Oh! Well, um, I don't have any money right now," Edwin answered.

"No sweat, man. I'll cover you," Jesse told him.

"Jesse, are you sure?" Casey checked.

"Yeah, I'm already paying for you, so what's one more?" Jesse answered with a shrug.

"Uh, **two** more," Derek interjected. Jesse shot him a disgusted look.

"You can pay for yourself," he told the other boy.

"Besides, you owe me twenty-bucks, man," Edwin reminded.

"For what?" the others asked.

"Oh, we made a bet that you weren't really friends with Casey," Edwin replied and everyone laughed.

"Well, we are. So pay up," Alex stated. Grumbling, Derek did as he was told and Edwin pocketed the money. Brad pulled the younger boy aside.

"Easiest twenty bucks you ever made, huh?" he asked.

"Oh, yeah," Edwin confirmed and they laughed.

"Okay, let's see: Kelly's gonna get a Banana Smoothie with an apricot salad, Steve's gonna get a Blackberry Smoothie and a side order of pickles, Brad's gonna get a Blueberry Smoothie and ham sandwich, Alex is gonna get a Cherry-Raspberry Smoothie along with the tofu burger, Jesse's gonna get the green lime Slush, a cheeseburger, and Sour Cream and Onion chips, and Casey's gonna get a Passionate Pineapple Smoothie with a strawberry and kettle corn chips," Bulk commented. Casey and her friends nodded to the affirmative. "What can I get you, Edwin?"

"A cheeseburger and a regular coke," Edwin answered.

"You got it," Bulk stated, writing down the order.

"And I'll have a large plain burger with mayonnaise, mustard, pickles, and ketchup and a root beer," Derek told him.

"Okay," Bulk said as he wrote down the new order. The teens all handed him some money. Edwin tried to put in his twenty dollars, but Jesse shook his head.

"Don't worry about it. I said I'd cover you," he told him. Bulk watched as Edwin shrugged and then put the money back into his pocket. Then, he went to the back.

"I wanna spar," Casey said.

"Kata or one-on-one?" Alex queried.

"One-on-one with Jesse," Casey responded.

"All right," Jesse said.

"We'll call you when the food's here," Kelly told them. Then, they went to one of the closets in the youth center, pulled out a mat and started doing some warm ups. Once they were sufficiently prepared, they bowed to each other. Then, Jesse threw a punch, which Casey expertly blocked.

"So, how long will it be before the Princess is knocked on her butt and completely humiliated?" Derek asked.

"Actually, they're pretty evenly matched," Alex responded.

"Yeah, they had the same Senseis," Brad added. Unaware of the conversation, Jesse and Casey each breathed rhythmically as they went through their routine. However, it soon became obvious that something was bothering the Green Ranger.

"Jess, honey, is there something you'd like to talk about?" Casey asked, easily deflecting the sloppily-thrown punch.

"What makes you ask that?" Jesse wondered as she easily landed a kick to his side

"Because your form's all off. So either, I'm getting better or you're getting worse," Casey answered, stopping to look at him. He sighed.

"My dad called the other day," he told him.

"Yeah. This is one of your weekends together, right?" she recalled.

"It was supposed to be."

"What'd he do now?"

"He got a business man of the year award."

"So he ditched you?" Casey let out a sigh of disgust at Jesse's confirming nod. She cupped a cheek with her hand.

"Jesse, I'm so sorry," she said softly.

"I don't get it. I mean-he put up such a fight about custody, and now he's pulling this kind of trash," he told her with a sigh. _I mean, what? Did he change his mind on me?_ he thought to himself. There was no way he was going to say that out loud though. With his luck, it'd give Bandora ideas.

"Well, I'm with you no matter what," she assured him, giving him a peck on the cheek.

"Thanks," he said with a small grin.

"Food's up!" Bulk shouted and they walked back up to the counter. The teens got their food and drinks and then went to a table. While Casey, Derek, and Edwin were doing this, Lizzie had met up with her friends Shari Davis and Melissa Connors and they had gone to the park and they were sitting at a table.

"You know, I still can't believe you're here. Why didn't you call us?" Shari wondered. She was an African-American girl a little taller than Lizzie with jet-black hair with blue streaks and brown eyes. She was wearing a purple tie-dyed shirt with blue jeans. Melissa was a tall Caucasian girl with auburn hair and green eyes and was wearing a pink t-shirt and pale blue jeans.

"I wanted it to be a surprise," Lizzie responded.

"Well, it certainly was," her friends said. While all of this was going on, Jason was in his basement, monitoring Angel Grove. _Well, it's quiet so far_, he thought to himself. Of course, that probably wouldn't last too long. On the moon, Bandora watched everything with a smirk. _Yes! They think it's just a normal day with an attack from me. But little do they know that I have __**big**__ plans for them_, she thought. She went over to her cauldron and started chanting in a foreign language. Lightning flashed in the palace and a rumble of thunder was heard. This went on for several minutes until the witch was done.

"Samarin! Murdoch! Have Gorkon make me a monster! I don't care what kind! It's just a distraction until I can teleport them into my nightmare world" Bandora shouted.

"Right away, Empress," Murdoch, a snake-like creature, responded with a bow. Samarin, who was half human and half praying mantis, did the same. Then, they went to the laboratory.

"Yessssss, Murdoch. Yesssss, Sssssamarin, What doesssss Empressssss command?" Gorkon, a tall, bat-like creatures asked with a hiss.

"A monster to occupy the Rangers until she can teleport them to her nightmare world," Murdoch responded.

"Tell Empresssssss that'll she'll have it very ssssssoon," Gorkon stated. Murdoch nodded and then they hurried out of the lab. The bat-like creature turned to his clay molds and began to build a monster. When he was finally satisfied, he placed the mold in the Monster-Matic and after a few minutes, a gray creature with wings came out as Bandora came in, having heard the news.

"What is your command, Empress?" the monster asked.

"Go down to Earth and attack!" Bandora screeched and then with a wave of her hand, the monster disappeared and then rematerialized on Earth, where it immediately began to shoot fire from its hands, setting fires in various places.

AUTHOR'S NOTE

The party will come a bit later.


	5. Bandora's Plot

CHAPTER FIVE: BANDORA'S PLOT

In Jason's basement, the alarms rang shrilly. He hurried from upstairs and immediately turned on the screen. In Downtown Angel Grove, a monster was summoning fire from its hands and setting things ablaze. _Oh, this is not good_, he thought to himself.

"Jason to Power Rangers, come in," he hailed. At the youth center, there was a violent shake and people screamed as a blaring sound filled the room. Another tremor came and people began running out of the building.

"What is that?" Derek wondered as the shaking continued and the boy wondered briefly if anything would fall from the ceiling. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Edwin clinging to Casey. _Well, at least he's not hurt_, he thought in relief.

"The monster alarm! We've got to get to safety!" Casey answered.

"All right, everyone! Follow me!" Bulk shouted as he came from behind the counter and started leading everyone out the front door. During the chaos, Casey, Jesse, Kelly, Alex, Brad, and Steve took the opportunity to slip out the back.

"Jason, what's going on?" Alex asked into his communicator.

"There's a monster in Downtown Angel Grove," Jason reported.

"We clear?" Alex checked as Jesse shut the door. Casey looked around both sides of the building.

"Yeah, we're clear," she confirmed.

"It's morphin' time!" Alex shouted.

"Dragonzord!" Jesse cried.

"Mastodon!" Steve exclaimed.

"Pterodactyl!" Casey yelled.

"Triceratops!" Brad called.

"Saber-toothed Tiger!" Kelly summoned.

"Tyrannosaurus!" Alex finished. Once morphed, they teleported to the site. Then, they started battling the monster.

"Yes! The Rangers are fighting him! Everything is going according to plan!" Bandora screeched. She'd let those puny Rangers defeat her monster and then transport them off of Earth never to be seen again. The fire monster lunged at them, kicking and punching. Then, he thrust a barrage of fireballs at them, which were quickly deflected with their Power Weapons.

"Bring 'em together!" the Red Ranger shouted.

"Power Axe!"

"Power Bow!"

"Power Daggers!"

"Power Lance!"

"Power Sword!" The Green Ranger placed the Dragon Dagger on top of the Power Blaster. Then, they fired. With a pained roar, the monster collapsed to the ground and exploded.

"I don't like this. That was too easy," the Pink Ranger stated. Just then, lightning filled the sky and a transparent image of Bandora appeared above them. Seeing this from his Command Center, Jason pressed the teleportation button on his communicator. However, nothing happened. _Oh, man! She's jammed our teleportation frequency!_ he realized. He then tried to contact them but only received a chirping sound. _No!_ his mind screamed. He had no way to warn them, and from the looks of it, whatever Bandora had up her sleeve was going to be pretty nasty. From the moon, Bandora watched the man's actions and laughed in delight. _Thanks to my spell, Jason can't save the Rangers from being teleported to my nightmare world and to their doom_, she thought to herself. Bandora laughed as she transported herself to Earth.

"Your time is up, Power Rangers! You now belong to **me**!" she told them. Then, before they knew what was happening, they felt a strange sensation course through their bodies. Seconds later, they found themselves on a desert planet that appeared to be experiencing nighttime.

"Okay, what dimension did she put us in?" Casey wondered nervously. _I don't like this_, she thought to herself. Alex went to call Jason but was horrified to see that his wrist was bare.

"My communicator's gone!" he exclaimed in surprise. Looking down, the other Rangers discovered the same thing. Instinctively, Casey reached behind her.

"My Power Morpher's gone too!" she reported. _This is not good! This is not good!_ her mind screamed. Then, _Calm down, Casey. Panicking's not going to help_.

"Oh, man. What do we do now?" Jesse nervously wondered. _How are we supposed to get out of here without our powers?_ he silently asked.

"We'll have to be extra careful. We don't have Jason to help us this time," Alex replied.

"I can't believe we're really on our own," Casey murmured. _I don't like this_, she thought. Almost as if he had heard the thought, Jesse reached out to grab her hand she gave his hand a grateful squeeze.

"Come on. Let's see if we can find a way out of here," Alex declared and headed off, the others close behind him. From the moon, Bandora watched this and cackled. _There's only one way you can ever escape my nightmare world, but your own nightmares won't let you_, she thought. The Rangers kept moving forward, jumping at every little sound. Back on Earth, the "all clear" signal sounded and Lizzie, Shari, and Melissa came out from their hiding spots in the park as Derek and Edwin went back into the youth center.

"Hey, where Casey and her friends?" Derek asked. Instantly, Edwin looked around. However, he didn't see them. _This can't be good. What happened to them?_ he wondered.

"I don't know," Edwin answered.

"I didn't even see them leave," Derek commented. He looked around the youth center, but like his younger brother, didn't see them. _Where could they have gone? _he wondered.

"Maybe I should go look for them," Edwin suggested. _I don't like this. Casey wouldn't just disappear on us_, he thought.

"They probably just didn't hear the second alarm or something," Derek dismissed, trying to quell his unease. _This isn't like her_, he thought.

"I don't care. I'm looking for her anyway," Edwin announced.

"Fine," Derek sighed, trying to mask his relief. _Casey's gotta have a good reason for showing up. I mean, she's a Keener and 'Miss Responsibility'. It's not like she'd just run off on us_, he silently told himself. Edwin hurried out of the youth center. Then, he pressed the 'talk' button on his communicator.

"This is Jason. Rangers, is that you?" he heard Jason respond tightly.

"Sorry, Jason. It's me, Edwin. I take it that they're not there?" Edwin asked.

"No, they're not," the older man replied.

"You need me?" Edwin offered.

"No, you should stay where you are. Casey's probably going to need a cover story," Jason told him.

"Right," Edwin said and then cut off their communication. In their hotel room, Nora and George opened the door and headed out, the man holding his youngest daughter in his arms.

"I guess things are okay now," the woman commented.

"Nora, what exactly was that faint sound?" George wondered, shifting Marti in his arms.

"The monster alarm. Casey and her friends were at the youth center. Come on, I want to make sure that they're okay," Nora answered, and still holding Marti, George followed his wife out the door and into the rental car. He buckled his daughter in and got into the front passenger seat. Then, she started the engine and drove off. In the Command Center, Jason watched as the computer sifted through the different dimensions that had been programmed into it. With a frustrated cry, he slammed his hands on the console.

"Where **are** you guys?" he wondered. _Man, what am I going to do?_ _They've never been on their own before_, he thought to himself, anxiously running his fingers through his hair. "Stay strong, Rangers. Wherever you are, you can make it," he murmured. Meanwhile, on the deserted planet, the Rangers continued to walk around. Suddenly, they heard strange laughter.

"What was that?" Kelly asked nervously, slowing down.

"Ignore it and keep going," Alex responded. _That's the freakiest laugh I've ever heard_, he thought to himself. However, he couldn't say that. He had to stay in control for the others. They were counting on him. They took a few more steps and-they were suddenly in a quarry in the middle of the day.

"Where are we?" Kelly asked in confusion. Steve, however, tensed. Then, there was a loud roar!


	6. Nightmare Island

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Boris Yeltsin (Chs 4-5): Yep. Thanks.

Dark-Supernatural-fan: Hey, thanks for the catch on Marti's location. That has been fixed. Well, read on and see.

Dean Winchesters Baby Girl: Thanks. I'm glad you liked it. Well, you'll just have to keep reading to find out. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

Booklover223: Thanks. Lol. Since when do I care if someone's redundant? Well, hopefully, I won't disappoint.

DISCLAIMER

Wow. Sorry it's been so long. Long, boring story. Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. Life With Derek belongs to Canadian Television and Disney. I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize. Inspired by "The Island Of Illusion Parts 1 & 2" and some things are similar to the episodes, but I'll try to make them as different as possible.

"What was that?" Brad wondered. Suddenly, to their surprise, a grotesque lion creature lunged at them.

"Didn't we destroy this guy already?" Casey asked. There was another cry and they turned around to see various monsters heading straight for them.

"Oh, not good," Steve sighed and they all got in defensive positions. As suddenly as the monsters had appeared, they disappeared.

"Huh? What's going on here?" Alex wondered.

"What kind of place is this?" Kelly wondered, fright creeping into her voice. Familiar laughter filled the air and they looked up to see the transparent images of Samarin and Murdoch.

"Welcome to Nightmare Island, Rangers. Enjoy your stay," Murdoch told them.

"Especially since you'll **never** leave," Samarin finished. They laughed again and then their images disappeared.

"Freaky," Casey commented. _I don't like this. I want to go home_, she thought to herself.

"I'll say," Brad agreed.

"We gotta figure a way out of here," Jesse determined.

"Man, I hear that," Steve agreed.

"Everyone just stay calm. We'll find a way out of this," Alex assured. Once again, they continued on their way. _Man, we've gotta figure a way out of here. But how? We don't even have our Power Morphers or communicators. Jason probably doesn't even know where we are_, Alex thought to himself. In his basement Command Center, Jason continued searching. Then, once again, he banged the consoles. _Man! She's not using either of Rita __**or**__ Zedd's old dimensions! Not that we ever found them all! But if she's using one of her own dimensions, how am I going to find it?_ he wondered. With a sigh, he slumped in his seat. Not for the first time since he started mentoring the teens, he wished Zordon or Alpha were here. But Zordon had sacrificed himself for the good of the Earth and Alpha had chosen to go back to his home planet, a place called Edenoi. _Okay, Jason. Calm down. Think!_ he told himself. The kids were out there. He just had to figure out **where**. And plus, how was Edwin supposed to explain Casey's disappearance to the rest of their family? He glanced at the read outs on the computer. Unfortunately, they still hadn't come up with any answers as to the Rangers' whereabouts. _This is ridiculous! They've gotta be somewhere!_ he thought to himself. But where? That was the big question. _Oh, please hold on, guys. I'm looking for you, I'm just not sure where've you been transported_, he thought. While this was going on, George and Nora had found Lizzie, Melissa, and Shari in the park, and then had taken them to the youth center where Derek and Edwin were.

"Where's Casey?" Nora questioned.

"I-I don't know. She was in here when that weird alarm went off and then, everyone panicked and-"

"You lost her," George interrupted. "Derek, how could you be so irresponsible?" he questioned.

"I was making sure Edwin was okay!" Derek responded. "Look, Dad, Casey and I may not get along, but I'm worried about her too! The last thing I want is for to get hurt!" he continued. _Geez, it's not like I __**really**__ hate her_, he thought. Although, when he thought about it, he couldn't blame his dad for thinking this way. He had been pretty rude to her ever since she and her family had moved in with them.

"Guys, just stop. I'm sure wherever Casey is, she's okay," Edwin told them. _At least…I __**hope**__ she's okay_, he thought to himself. Back on the island, the Rangers continued walking, each one feeling completely shaken, though they all tried to hide it. Casey continued to subtly look around the island. As if sensing her nervousness, Jesse reached out and squeezed Casey's hand reassuringly. She smiled at him gratefully. _Thank goodness for Jesse. He always keeps me calm_, she thought to herself. Just then, Brad let out a yelp of surprise. Turning to their friend, Alex, Kelly, Jesse, Casey, and Steve were surprised and horrified to see that the dirt beneath Brad's feet had begun to dissipate, causing the boy to sink into the earth.

"Guys, help! Get me out!" he exclaimed. The others ran to him and Alex and Steve each grabbed an arm and tugged. Brad panted shakily as the sand rose higher and higher, covering him. _No, please! I don't wanna go out like this!_ his mind screamed. The boys grunted as they strained to hoist their friend up. Kelly, Jesse, and Casey gathered around and grabbed a section of Brad's upper body. However, the boy just continued to sink. His breathing became labored as the sand reached his chin. _Bad, bad, bad, bad, bad!_ Brad thought frantically.

"Keep pulling!" Alex instructed. The others did as they were told, but their friend continued to slip out of their hands and deeper into the earth.

"Brad!" they all shouted frantically as the boy finally slipped all the way through the hole. To his surprise, he found himself standing in what appeared to be a small room. Sand fell on his head furiously. _No, no, please! I don't want to be buried alive! Please!_ his mind screamed as he frantically began digging above his head to get free. Almost as if she had heard him, Casey's eyes darkened and she plunged her hand deep into the sand. _Hold on Brad_, she thought to herself. Brad began to pant nervously. Was he going to die here? _Okay, okay. Just calm down. You can't let Bandora get to you. You will get out of here_, he told himself. Okay, so he was trapped underground. So what? _I'm not giving into this. This is nothing compared to what we've faced before_, Brad thought to himself. Just then, his hand touched someone else's hand. Yes! The others were trying to reaching him. He stretched upward and the person above grabbed his wrist tightly.

"I've got him!" Casey cried and then stepped backwards, feeling her friend's body move upward. Inch-by-inch, Brad's body came above ground. The other Rangers each grabbed a section of their friend's body as it came up.

"Pull and brace!" Alex shouted. The Rangers planted their feet firmly on the ground and tugged on their teammate. Finally, they managed to pull him out. With a collective grunt, they landed in a heap.

"Are you okay?" Kelly asked worriedly.

"I am now," Brad responded. They stood up and as Brad went to brush the sand off of his body, he was surprised to see that there was none.

"Whoa. What the heck?" Steve asked.

"You should be covered in sand," Casey commented.

"I know that," Brad responded a bit testily.

"What kind of freaky place is this?" Casey wondered, nervousness creeping into her voice. Samarin's booming laugh made them all jump. Looking up in the sky, they saw the transparent image of Bandora's female general. _Oh, great. Not her again_, Casey thought to herself.

"Like I said Rangers, this is Nightmare Island. You may have been able to fight us, but you'll never be able to face your ultimate worst fears!" she told them. Then, she disappeared.

"Our worst fears? Terrific," Jesse muttered to himself.

"How can we fight ourselves?" Kelly wondered. The teens stared at one another, each feeling a rising amount of fear and dread.


	7. Fears And Worries

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Dark-Supernatural-Angel: Yep. Oh, yeah. well, maybe. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

BookLover223: Aw, thanks. Here you go. Lol.

Boris Yeltsin: Yep.

Dean Winchesters Baby Girl: Thanks. Well, you'll find out eventually. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. Life With Derek belongs to Canadian Television and Disney. Bandora is from Zyuranger, and I'm not sure who owns that. I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize.

Casey, Alex, Kelly, Jesse, Brad, and Steve continued walking through the island. As they did so, Brad let out a shudder. He had nearly been buried alive-something he feared over anything else. But how had Bandora found out? They had never been in a situation where she could've discovered that fear. _This doesn't make sense! How did Bandora tap into my mind like that? I mean, sure she's a witch, but…_the Blue Ranger's thoughts trailed off as he noticed that he was starting to lag behind the others. As they walked, Alex kept a subtle eye on Brad. Though the boy would never admit it, Alex knew that the Blue Ranger was still freaked out about what had just happened. Not that he could blame his him. He had just nearly been buried alive. That alone would've freaked out anybody, but given that it was Brad's worst fear…yeah, it was no wonder the boy was shaken up. Kelly maneuvered her way to Brad's side and put a comforting arm around his shoulders. Seeing this, Bandora laughed.

"Always the comforter, hey, Kelly? Well, soon enough you won't be doing anything anymore!" she cackled. Unaware of the danger, the Rangers continued their search.

"So, where do you guys think Bandora hid our communicators and Morphers?" Steve asked.

"I don't know," Alex answered grimly. _We have to find them and get out of here_, he thought to himself. There was no telling **what** Bandora could do to them in this place. Back in Angel Grove, Nora, George, Derek, Lizzie, Edwin, and Marti were still trying to find Casey, searching all of the girl's regular hang outs.

"I don't understand this. Where could she be?" Nora asked worriedly. "For that matter, where are her friends?" she continued.

"Well, I'm sure they're all right. Maybe they're just keeping an eye on some of the other kids or something," Edwin surmised, then averted his gaze so that they couldn't see his own worry. Derek looked at him in confusion, but didn't say anything. In the Command Center, Jason banged his fists on the console when the computers once more came up with nothing.

"I don't believe this! Where can they be!" he exclaimed in frustration. There was a whooshing sound and a woman materialized in front of him. She appeared to be several years older than him, yet had brunette hair and was wearing a tan shirt and white slacks.

"Do you mind telling me why you're searching mine and Zedd's old dimensions?" she demanded as a scepter appeared in her hand.

"Because my team is no longer on Earth, so they're either in another galaxy, dimension, or reality. And sometimes Bandora uses your dimensions," Jason responded.

"Have you checked Bandora's dimensions?" Rita questioned.

"Yeah, but I haven't found them yet. I mean, if she's using a different dimension, I'm not sure I can find them," Jason answered.

"Well, destroying your equipment isn't going to help you find your Rangers," Rita responded. "Let me give your computers a little boost," she offered.

"You're not going to overload and fry 'em again are you?" Jason asked.

"Cute," she smirked and pointed her staff at the machines. Jason watched with some trepidation. _Oh, please let this work_, he thought to himself. This was the second time he had needed Rita's help. While a small part of him was still suspicious of her intentions, the larger, worried part of him was willing to take whatever help he could get. She hadn't tried to hurt him or the kids, so it seemed like Zordon's purge had taken root. Though concentrating on her task, Rita looked at Jason through the corner of an eye. He was tense, agitated, and seemed to be displaying a good amount of fear…not that she blamed him. His team was missing and he didn't completely trust her. None of the older Rangers did, not that it surprised her. She and Zedd had been notorious in the Ranger world. Back on Nightmare Island, the Rangers were on their way when suddenly there came the sound of crashing waves.

"What in the world?" the teens gasped. To their horror large waves came and engulfed them. Kelly didn't even have time to shriek before a large, monstrous sea horse came, clamped its mouth around her arm and began dragging her down to the bottom of a large sea that had suddenly appeared. The girl began to flail around. _I can't believe this is happening!_ _Please! Please! Somebody help!_ she thought. On shore, the other Rangers headed for the girl, but the waves came crashing down on them, knocking them off of their feet. Alex gritted his teeth. He wasn't going to let this happen. No way. Underneath the water, Kelly continued to attempt to fight the monster that had grabbed her. However, the water slowed her down. Above the waves, the other Rangers were still trying to get into the water. _Maybe if I go under and in_, Alex thought. When the next wave came above them, Alex ran under the foam and darted in.

"ALEX!" Casey screamed and started after the leader.

"Casey, no," Jesse cautioned, grabbing her arm and pulling her back.

"Jesse, let me go!" Casey exclaimed. _We can't let him go in alone! He's gonna need help!_ her mind screamed. Alex held his breath as he followed Kelly's path. There was no way he was going to lose a teammate. Seeing slight movement in the distance, he dove towards it. _Hang on, Kell. I'm coming!_ he thought. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally reached her. To his dismay, the girl was only half fighting the monster. On shore, the other Rangers waited anxiously.

"I don't like this. He's been under too long," Casey stated worriedly.

"He'll be okay," Jesse assured, putting his hands on her shoulders.

"Yeah, you know he holds the record for holding his breath underwater," Steve reminded.

"Yeah, you're right," Casey said. However, she couldn't keep the worry out of her voice. Underwater, Alex had lunged at the monster and had smacked it on the mouth, causing it to release Kelly. Then, the Ranger swiftly swam to shore. As soon as they were back on land, the waves disappeared. Seeing their escape, Bandora seethed.

"I DON'T BELIEVE THIS! I WAS SO CLOSE!" she shrieked. Kelly moaned and coughed as she started to sit up.

"Easy," Alex warned as the others knelt beside her. Kelly finished coughing and then let out a ragged breath. _I nearly got killed by a kelpie_, she thought to herself.

"It was a kelpie. Those stories always scared me. How is Bandora doing this?" she asked softly.

"I don't know," Alex responded, pulling her into a hug. They all stared at each other nervously.


	8. Illusions

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Boris Yeltsin: Thanks, glad you like it. Yep.

Dark-Supernatural-Angel: Thanks for the catch. That's been corrected. Yep. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

Dean Winchesters Baby Girl: Thanks. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

BookLover223: Thank you. Yeah, well, it could be that they have their fics a long way off in the future where any wariness had long since subsided. This is true. Thanks.

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. Life With Derek belongs to Canadian Television and Disney. Bandora is from the Sentai series Zyuranger, and I'm not sure who owns that. The plot was inspired by "The Island Of Illusion Pts 1 & 2"; though I'm gonna try to make it different. I only own the characters you don't recognize.

After a while, the Rangers continued on their way. They had to get out of there before Bandora tried something else. Bandora fumed.

"So, the Blue and Yellow Rangers beat my illusions, did they? Well, let's see how the Black and Green Rangers fare!" she exclaimed. On the island, Steve suddenly found himself being blown away from the others.

"STEVE!" Kelly and Casey shouted. When the Black Ranger landed, he found himself in a very small room. _No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no! Too small! Too small! Too small! Too small!_ his mind screamed as he banged on the walls.

"Steve, just remain calm!" Brad encouraged, raising his voice to be heard over the noise. There was a moment of silence.

"I-I-I-I can't. It's-it's-it's too small," Steve stammered.

"Look, man. I get that you're scared, but you can't let Bandora get to you," Alex reminded him. Steve inhaled sharply. Alex was right. He had to stay calm. He couldn't let Bandora win.

"O-okay. I'll-I'll try," he stammered again. _All right. Get it together, man. You've been in tougher spots before_, he reminded himself. He just-he just had to calm down. _Okay, this place is called Nightmare Island. That means it brings your worst fears to light. This is just an illusion. It's not real_, his reminder continued. Outside of the walls, the other Rangers grinned when the walls trapping Steve began to shimmer.

"Look! It's starting to disappear!" Kelly exclaimed.

"Whatever you're doing Steve, keep it up! It's working!" Brad told his friend.

"This won't break me, Bandora! I've been in tougher spots than this!" Steve shouted and then kicked at the wall, which disappeared. Immediately, his friends ran to him and wrapped their arms around him in relief.

"Way to go, man. You beat the illusion," Jesse congratulated. On the moon, Bandora fumed. _RATS! I thought for sure his fear would paralyze him! At least I still have Jesse_, she thought to herself. Then, her lips curved into a smirk. The Green Ranger didn't stand a chance. His fear was different than that of the other Rangers'. She let out a booming laugh, anticipating the demise of the Green Ranger. Back in Angel Grove, Nora, George, Lizzie, Marti, and Edwin were becoming more and more worried about Casey.

"Where could she be? This isn't like her," Nora commented.

"She's probably just doing this to get some attention," Derek declared, trying to hide his own unease. Where **was** Casey? Why would she worry her mother and sister like this? It didn't make sense. Edwin looked around furtively and then slipped away unnoticed and activated his communicator.

"Mr. Scott, have you found anything?" he asked softly. He heard a sigh.

"Not yet. I'm still looking," came the response. "And you can call me Jason," the man added. In the Command Center, Jason ran his fingers through his hair. Even with Rita's power boost to the computers, he hadn't found them. _Come on you guys. Give me something_, he urged. He blew out another breath.

"As Zack would say, 'This is not cas'," he muttered. _I don't like this. I want my Rangers back_, he thought to himself. _Please, please, please, please let me find them_, he thought. Back on Nightmare Island, the Rangers had once again started their search for their communicators and Morphers. Bandora cackled.

"Now it's time for the Green Ranger! And he'll **never** beat **this** illusion!" she declared. _Plus, he'll destroy the other Rangers at the same time_, she thought to herself. Suddenly, Jesse stopped.

"Jesse, what's wrong?" Casey asked.

"No! No, please!" he shouted.

"Oh, man. The illusions have gotten to **him** now," Alex realized.

"No, I'm not like that!" Jesse cried. The Green Ranger just laughed.

"You don't have a choice, Jesse. It's part of your history. You'll join Bandora and help destroy the other Rangers," he responded evilly.

"NO!" Jesse shouted, letting out a high kick that caught Steve in the chin. The boy groaned and fell to the ground. _Man, he packs a wallop_, he thought to himself.

"Jesse, Jesse! Calm down!" Casey exclaimed as she and Alex ran in front of the others. Jesse started attacking them, not knowing that it was his best friend and girlfriend. All he could see was the Green Ranger taunting him, telling him that he was going to be evil. Jesse let out a side kick that knocked Casey to the ground. The Green Ranger laughed.

"You think you can stop me? You'll never be rid of me!" he sneered. Jesse let out another kick.

"Baby, it's me!" Casey shouted, catching his leg. Jesse struggled against her, but Alex grabbed him and forced him down.

"Stop it, man! That's an order!" he told him. However, Jesse just continued to fight. Casey and Alex forced their weight onto Jesse, forcing him to cease his struggles.

"Guys, be careful!" Brad exclaimed.

"You're not going to use me! I won't turn on them!" Jesse shouted, trying to break free.

"Stop it, man. You're not fighting the Green Ranger!" Alex shouted.

"Jesse, baby, don't you remember what Jason said? The Green Coin's been fixed. It's no longer corrupted. You can't be used that way," Casey reminded him. Jesse fought to get free. "Jesse, see the truth," Casey said, and took his hand, allowing power to flow from her to her boyfriend. He gasped as the Pink Energy mixed itself into the Green Energy.

"You'll never get rid of me! You can't! I'm a part of this coin's history!" the Green Ranger told him.

"Yeah, you are part of the history, but you're not my history. I was never you and I never will be," Jesse responded. The Green Ranger let out a cry and then disappeared. "So how about letting me up now, huh?" he asked. Casey laughed in relief and she and Alex helped him up. Bandora shouted in rage.

"Calm down, Empress. You haven't lost. Casey and Alex still have to face their own fears," Samarin reminded her queen. The witch smiled.

"Yes, that's true," she recalled, letting her features curve into an evil grin. Those two Power Brats were done for and then the other Rangers would lose their confidence, allowing her to destroy them easily.


	9. Gaining Strength

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Boris Yeltsin: Thank you. Well, keep on reading and see.

Dean Winchesters Baby Girl: Thanks, I'm glad you liked the chap.

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Nickelodeon. Life With Derek belongs to Canadian Television and Disney. Bandora is from Zyuranger and I'm not sure who owns that. I only own the plot and characters you don't recognize.

After Jesse's illusion, the other Rangers, especially Casey, were more on edge. _Oh, man. We've gotta get off this island…and fast!_ Casey thought. If they didn't, Bandora would sooner or later end up destroying them. Noticing Casey's worried demeanor, Alex and Jesse walked up to her.

"Don't worry. I'll get us out," Alex assured.

"And I won't let Bandora do **anything** to you," Jesse promised. Casey flashed them both a grateful smile. They always knew when she needed the comfort, but also knew that she didn't need to be handled with kid gloves. _That's right. I'll be okay. I've got the guys with me_, she remembered. Then, they continued on their way. On the moon, Bandora's eyes narrowed. _So…you think you'll be able to escape, do you?_ she thought. There wasn't much chance of that. Even if they all managed to face their fears, they wouldn't be able to get off of the island. Bandora cackled in delight. Meanwhile, in the Command Center, Jason's computer started beeping rapidly. _It's found them!_ he thought in relief. He quickly went over to the computer and stared at the coordinates. _I don't recognize those_, he thought. There was a flash of light and almost instantly, Rita appeared. _I've gotta get a better magic alarm for this place_, he thought to himself.

"What can I do for you, Rita?" he asked suspiciously.

"I understand that the computer's found your Rangers," she replied.

"How'd you know that?" he demanded.

"I programmed your computer to activate my spell skull when the coordinates were found," she replied, walking past him to check the location. Her eyes widened.

"NIGHTMARE ISLAND! SHE USED THAT PLACE!" she shrieked.

"'Nightmare Island'?" Jason repeated. "That doesn't sound good," he continued.

"It's not. It'll take me some time, but I believe I can get them out," the witch replied. Jason only hesitated for a moment before answering her.

"Do what you have to do," he allowed. He watched as the witch made herself comfortable and then began chanting in her native language. Back on the island, the Rangers had only gone a little ways before Casey suddenly stopped.

"Casey?" Kelly queried.

"Am I really cut out to be a Ranger?" Casey asked them.

"Uh-oh," Jesse murmured.

"Casey, of course you're cut out to be a Ranger. The Power wouldn't have chosen you otherwise," Alex hastened to assure.

"But I'm not exactly the most natural choice for it," Casey said. "I'm practical, realistic, I never believed in witches, monsters, or fairy tales, and-"

"Casey, stop! She's just trying to make you doubt yourself," Jesse interrupted. However, that's not what she heard.

"You're right. You aren't cut out for this. I don't even know why the Power chose you. All you do is get us in trouble," Jesse told her.

"Yeah, your practicality is completely useless," Kelly added.

"Not to mention you're such a girly-girl. I can't believe you're even good at karate," Brad commented.

"I-I know," Casey said softly, looking at the ground.

"Aw, what's the matter? You gonna cry?" Steve mocked. Alex scoffed.

"Just another reason you're not to be a Ranger," he declared. Casey's eyes clouded and she sank to the ground. _I'm not fit to be a Ranger. I'm completely useless_, she thought. There was mocking laughter and she looked up to see Derek.

"See Spacey? I knew you were pathetic. You can't even count on your so-called "friends"," he said.

"Shut up, Derek! You don't know anything!" she snapped.

"That's right, he doesn't! What does he know about being a Power Ranger?" Jesse agreed. The others stared at him in confusion and he shrugged. It was worth a shot. He stepped forward. "He doesn't know how hard you've had to fight, the spells you've been under, how you've nearly been killed more than times than he could **ever** imagine…he doesn't know about any of that," he continued, kneeling in front of her. Casey stared up at him. "Come on, you can't let Bandora get to you. This isn't you-this girl who's giving up. No, I don't know who she is, but she's not my Rebel," he said. Something sparked in Casey's eyes. Rebel. He only called her that when he was feeling especially affectionate, and that was usually only in private. It stemmed from the fact that though she was a straight 'A' student, he and the other Rangers were the only ones who knew that she could come up with the most devious and rebellious plots ever thought up when she was feeling mischievous as well as once in a while stealing his jackets and wrist cuffs to add to her own outfits. Jesse saw the glint in Casey's eyes and his heart leaped. Yes! She was responding!

"That's it, Rebel. Come on back to me," he encouraged.

"You think you can break me, Bandora?" she shouted. Jesse helped her up. "Well, think again! I'm the one who saved the others from your Doppelganger World!" she continued, mentioning a previous battle. She grabbed Jesse and hugged him tightly. "Thanks, Punk," she said, using a nickname that had resulted from his time of acting during his parents divorce proceedings.

"Anytime, Rebel." The others laughed in pleased relief as the two turned back to them. Bandora screeched in anger.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO! I WILL NOT LOSE THEM! ALEX, YOUR TIME HAS COME!" she screamed, her voice echoing throughout the palace.

"Okay, maybe now we can find our morphers and communicators and go home," Alex said.

"If you were anything like Jason, you already would've figured out how to get them out," Murdoch stated, his transparent image appearing in the sky. Alex inhaled sharply as the visage disappeared.

"He's right. Jason would've figured out how to get you guys out right away," he agreed.

"Don't listen to him! He's just trying to get you to doubt yourself!" Steve exclaimed.

"But I should've figured it out! I'm the leader!" Alex insisted.

"No, Alex. Just…no. You did your best for the circumstances," Casey told him. _Man, what would Jason say if he was here? He'd probably rip into me_, Alex thought, running his fingers through his hair. Almost as if he had conjured up the man, he appeared before him. Seeing the man, the others tensed. What was Bandora up to?

"What do you think you're doing? You're no leader. I can't believe I recruited you," he said.

"J-Jason, I-" the boy stammered.

"Oh, save it. I'm so disappointed in you," the man interrupted, disgust lacing his voice.

"Jason!" Alex cried, his voice breaking. _But how can I blame him? I got us trapped here and I can't get us out_, he thought.

"Alex, snap out of it!" the others cried. Alex dropped to his knees. _Face it, man. You'll never be as good as Jason. You can't even get them out of here_, he thought. He was such an idiot. Whatever gave him the idea that he could lead a team? He was no leader.

"Come on, man! You're gonna let them do this to you!" Steve asked, pushing his way past the others. "Come on, man! Pull yourself together! You're stronger than this! I know you are!" he encouraged.

"Alex, please!" Kelly cried, taking a step forward. _Come on, Alex. We need you_, she thought.

"No. I've failed you all," he said.

"'Failed'?" Kelly repeated. "Who was it who took on a monster, Murdoch, Samarin, and a squad of Velocitrons single-handedly to get me out of the moon palace?" she reminded him.

"Or tricked Murdoch and Samarin when they were holding us hostage in that cave on the outskirts of Angel Grove?" Brad chimed in. Alex looked up at his friends as he recalled the events.

"We've counted on you to lead and save us, and you haven't let us down," Casey told him.

"Yeah. If anything, you've always pushed yourself too far," Steve agreed.

"You're right," Alex said. _They've never treated me like I failed. If they thought I had come up short, they wouldn't hesitate to tell me…especially Casey and Jesse_, he thought to himself. "You can't break me that easily, Bandora!" he shouted, rising to his feet. "I know I'm not perfect and I'm no Jason, but I've **never** failed the team and they wouldn't want me to be Jason!" he continued. Laughing in relief, the others ran to him and hugged him. Suddenly, they were all surprised by familiar weights.

"Our communicators and Morphers!" Steve shouted.

"But how?" Casey wondered.

"Whatever Bandora did to make them disappear must've been reversed when we all faced our fears," Brad surmised. They all laughed again. Meanwhile, in the Command Center, Rita had finished her spell.

"Now to get those kids out of there!" she declared and summoning her powers, she let loose with a teleportation beam. Alex, Kelly, Jesse, Casey, Steve, and Brad gasped as they felt themselves being teleported. They landed in the room a few seconds later.

"We're back in the Command Center," Casey realized. Then, "Who are you?"

"Ally," Jason responded. _Well, so far_, he thought to himself.

"Hey! Bandora's sent her henchmen down!" Rita exclaimed, pointing to the screen. The kids followed her gaze to see Murdoch and Samarin destroying the business district.

"Let's send those two packing," Jesse declared.

"Oh, yeah," Casey agreed, slapping him a low five.

"It's Morphin' Time!" Alex shouted.

"Dragonzord!"

"Mastodon!"

"Pterodactyl!"

"Triceratops!"

"Saber-toothed Tiger!"

"Tyrannosaurus!" With that, the six teens sprang into action. Rita stood beside Jason as they watched the six teens fight. Bandora's eyes blazed in fury. Then, using her powers, she made her warriors grow, causing them to revert to their true forms.

"We need Dinozord Power now!" the Black, Pink, Blue, Yellow, and Red Rangers chorused as the Green Ranger played a tune on his dagger. Then, the Rangers jumped into their zords. The Mastodon, Pterodactyl, Triceratops, Saber-toothed Tiger, and Tyrannosaurus came together to form the Megazord and stood beside the Dragonzord. Murdoch wrapped himself around the Megazord and squeezed it tightly. The Dragonzord whirled around and hit Samarin with its tail. The woman let out a cry and lashed out with her forelegs.

"Power's failing!" the Blue Ranger shouted. He and the Black Ranger worked on one side of the zord while the Yellow and Blue Rangers worked on the other side, trying to boost up their power supply.

"It's no use! The drain's happening to fast!" the Blue Ranger finally reported.

"Alex all for the Power Sword, hurry!" the Yellow Ranger exclaimed.

"Power Sword!" the Red Ranger summoned. The sword fell from the sky, hitting Murdoch, who let out a hiss of pain and released the zord. The Dragonzord launched its missiles, hitting Samarin and Murdoch. The Megazord charged up the Power Sword. Murdoch and Samarin glanced at each other, and the teleported back to the Moon Palace. Bandora let out a screech.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE THEY BEAT ME! JUST YOU WAIT, POWER RANGERS! I WILL DESTROY YOU!"

AUTHOR'S NOTE

I chose to have Casey, Jesse, and Alex have mental fears rather than physical fears so that not all of the fears would be too easy to beat. The "spell skull" as I called it refers to that skull Rita chanted over in Green With Evil Part 1 to place the spell over Tommy.


	10. Reunited

SHOUT OUTS/ANSWERS

Boris Yeltsin: Thanks. Yep.

Dean Winchesters Baby Girl: Thanks. So did I, and I'm the one who wrote it. Sorry this isn't soon enough.

DISCLAIMER

Power Rangers belongs to Haim Saban and Fox Kids. Life With Derek belongs to Canadian Television and Disney. Bandora is from Zyuranger and I'm not sure who owns that. I only own the plot.

After Murdoch and Samarin had been defeated, Rita teleported away, and the Rangers returned to Angel Grove.

"Oh, it so good to be out of there," Kelly sighed in relief.

"Yeah, but Mom and George are probably worried sick," Casey commented.

"Well, no one can lie the way you can," Jesse reminded.

"Hmm. This is true," Casey laughed. As they walked out, Casey and the others pulled out their cell phones and dialed various numbers. When they got through, they all began talking and apologizing, stating that they had been about to join them at the sound of the "all clear" signal when they had suddenly found themselves transported to another dimension and had finally been rescued by the Power Rangers. When they were all done, they turned their phones off.

"So, is everyone cool?" Alex asked.

"Yes," everyone except Jesse chorused.

"Jesse?" Casey asked.

"He didn't even know I was missing. And Mom had found out earlier that Dad flaked on me, so she's mad about that," Jesse answered. She shook her head, and then punched him lightly on the shoulder. He then held his hand up and she clasped it with a loud smack and then squeezed it, their way of silently saying "I love you" to each other. They continued on their way, Casey and Jesse holding hands.

"Where we heading?" Steve asked.

"I told Mom I'd meet her at Ernie's," Casey replied.

"Okay," the others chorused and they all headed in that direction.

"So, what'd you tell her?" Brad wondered.

"That I was hanging out with you guys when the monster alarm sounded, and didn't come out when the all clear alarm rang because I lost track of time," Casey answered. To her surprise, Brad, Kelly, Alex, Steve, and Jesse started laughing. "What?"

"That's what I said," Brad commented.

"Me too," Jesse added, and the others made similar statements. Casey laughed. When they finally got to Ernie's, they walked in. Before Casey knew what was happening, Nora had run over and wrapped her in a hug. Within moments, the other Rangers were likewise enveloped by their own parents.

"Mom, I'm okay. Honest. The Power Rangers made sure of that before teleporting me back here," Casey replied. The woman sighed.

"I know. But I'm still never letting you go," she said. Casey rolled her eyes, but didn't say anything. She had been expecting that.

"I, of course, knew you were just fine," he stated.

"Really?" Casey asked.

"Well, yeah. I mean, so your disappearance had me, uh, concerned-I knew you were okay," Derek answered.

"You were worried about me?" Casey asked, feeling a bit touched. I don't believe it. He really cares? she wondered.

"I wasn't worried! No way!" Derek exclaimed. "It's just good to be proven right," he added. Casey laughed and rolled her eyes again. Typical Derek. Always had to be the tough guy.

"Nora, I think you can let Casey go now. I'm pretty sure she's not going anywhere," George commented.

"Oh, right! Sorry," the woman apologized, releasing her daughter. Meanwhile, Jesse and his mother, Patricia, were discussing what to do about his father.

"I don't get it, Mom. I mean, he seemed to really want to sped time with me, and now…did I do something wrong?" he asked.

"Absolutely not, honey. This is not your fault. Your father's just being an insensitive idiot," she told him.

"No argument there," Jesse agreed. "I think it's time I told him I don't wanna see him anymore," he continued.

"Are you sure, honey?" the woman asked gently. _I know Darren's presence is important to him_, she thought. Jesse sighed.

"Look, I'll always love him, but I can't keep doing this. He thought getting an award was more important than spending time with me," he said. _I can't really argue with that_, the woman thought.

"All right, honey. I'll talk to the lawyers and tell them what you've decided," Patricia promised.

"Thank you," Jesse said. Then, he headed for a table. Seeing this, Casey excused herself and walked over to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked softly.

"Mom and I decided to rescind Dad's custodial rights," he answered.

"Oh, Jesse," she said softly, putting a comforting hand on his wrist.

"Um, no, offense, but-"

"You wanna be alone. I get it." She leaned over, kissed him briefly on the lips, and then walked back to the others.

"Is he all right?" Alex questioned.

"I think he will be," Casey replied.

"Casey, it's time to go back to the hotel," Nora called.

"Coming, Mom!" Casey replied and then joined her family.

"Okay, kids. You don't have to do it tonight, but remember we're leaving in a couple of days, so make sure to pack before then," George said. Derek, Edwin, Marti, Casey, and Lizzie all rolled their eyes at the reminder, but said nothing. Then, they walked out of the juice bar together. Edwin lagged behind. Noticing this, Casey slowed so that they were together.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"Where were you really?" he questioned softly. Casey looked around furtively and saw that no one else was in hearing distance.

"Bandora transported me and the others to a place called Nightmare Island. We each had to face our worst fears," she told him in a quiet tone.

"Are you okay?" he asked worriedly. _Her worst fears? That must've been so hard_, he thought to himself.

"Yeah, Edwin. I'm all right," she assured, squeezing his shoulder. Then, they hurried to catch up with the rest of their family.

LATER THAT DAY

Casey walked towards the youth center. _Why is it so dark in here?_ she wondered. "Guys, are you in here?" she asked, walking into the room. The lights flipped on.

"SURPRIIIIIISE!" Jason, Alex, Kelly, Brad, Steve, and Jesse shouted.

"What!" Casey asked and then laughed.

"This was our plan before we got kidnapped," Brad said, being careful not to let anything slip since Bulk was in hearing distance.

"Cool," Casey said and they went over to the counter where Bulk had laid out various types of food. For the next several minutes, the teens ate, drank, talked, and laughed with each other. Jason sat on a stool watching them. _Man, I remember hanging out with the guys. Sometimes I miss it_, he thought.

"Hey, you all right, man?" Bulk asked, seeing the wistful look on his face.

"Yeah, I was just thinkin' about when we were their age," Jason said.

"You know if I could go back change things, I'd change everything. I was such a jerk back then," Bulk commented.

"Hey, you and Skull grew up, and both turned into great friends," Jason stated. "Speaking of Skull, where is he this week anyways?" he queried.

"Oh, he took his kids to the Monterey Bay," Bulk answered.

"During spring break?" Jason asked.

"That's what I said," Bulk agreed.

"Well, if he and Leslie can handle 'em, more power to 'em," Jason said. "So, when do you think you'll settle down?"

"When I find the right girl."

"Yeah, I hear that."

"Yeah, I'm sorry things didn't work out with Emily. You two looked good together."

"Well, at least it was mutual so it wasn't really that messy." Bulk had to give his friend that. _I don't believe it. When we were teens, we never would've had this type of a conversation together_, the heavyset man thought to himself as he shook his head.

"Oooh! Open mic!" they heard Casey shout. "Come on, Mr. Scott!" she added. He fixed her with a look. "Jason," she amended. Bulk laughed as Jason joined the teens. He knew his friend could never say no to them. _He's good with them. That's why he makes a great sensei_, he thought to himself.

"So, what are we singing?" Jason asked.

"Down But Not Out," Casey answered.

"Yeah, I think we're gonna need it," Brad agreed. Jason nodded. "Down But Not Out" was a song that Jesse and Casey had written after a particularly tough battle and had become a sort of a therapy for the Rangers to sing when they were feeling especially stressed. Jesse grabbed his guitar and started playing. A little bit later, he nodded for Casey to start singing.

_It feels like I have lost this fight  
>They think that I am staying down<br>But I'm not giving up tonight  
>Tonight the wall is coming down<br>I am stronger than my fears  
>This is the mountain that I climb<br>Got 100 steps to go  
>Tonight I'll make it 99<br>_

_One more  
>Go one more<br>Yeah, yeah  
>Don't stop now<br>Go one more  
>Yeah, yeah<br>One more  
><em>

On the chorus, Brad, Kelly, Jesse, Steve, and Jason started singing as well.

_Go one more  
>Go one more<br>Yeah, yeah  
><em>  
>Jesse began the next verse.<p>

_I have everything to lose  
>By not getting up to fight<br>I might get used to giving up  
>So I am showing up tonight<br>I am my own enemy  
>The battle fought within my mind<br>If I can overcome step one  
>I can face the 99<em>

They repeated the chorus, which led into a rock instrumental. When they were finally done, Alex put his fist out. One-by-one, Casey, Jesse, Kelly, Brad, Steve, and Jason put their hands on top of the fist. Then, they thrust their hands into the air and shared triumphant smiles.

THE END

AUTHOR'S NOTE

The song "Down But Not Out" is actually "One More" by Superchick and belongs to them and their record labe.


End file.
